THE little row of shops along Stirling Highway in North Fremantle are set to grow in size and get an upper floor of apartments following this week’s Fremantle council planning meeting.

Although there were concerns from neighbours about the increased traffic, overshadowing and losing their courtyard privacy to the overlooking balconies, staff recommended the development be approved with a range of conditions.

The apartment balconies will all have planter boxes against a 1.6 metre screen to try and prevent anyone peering over the top and one-way traffic will come in on Stirling Highway and exit onto Alfred Street on an adjoining property owned by the developer.

Included in the designs is office space.

It’s been a bit of a back-and-forward process between the developer, the council’s planners and its design advisory committee, though there’s already a fall-back design for a second storey approved back in 2019 if they had ended up unmoved.